This I Believe

Video games are my favorite hobby. They are visually appealing, and a way to become better than your friends are at playing them. But I believe that they are something more than just something cool to do.

When I play video games, I step back from all the hustle and bustle of my life. I get to “pretend.” I get to make choices, which may cause to me lose my life, but there is always an extra man, ready to take that place. I can speed down a track, or destroy an enemy base. Anything that you can do in real life, you can do in video game tenfold.

So what? “It’s not real!” is what my parents say every time I plead for just one more game before bed. They aren’t rotting my brain, I feel they’re helping me. Everything that I could never do in real life, such as catch a touchdown pass in the NFL, or set forth on an adventure in the depths of an unknown forest, I can do in a video game. In moderation, video games are sort-of like a dream machine, away from any peer-pressure. You can be all that you want to be, any time. Like what you want to like, at any time. And isn’t that what we all want, a little piece of an American dream?

No, it’s not really a belief in video games. It’s a belief that anyone, anywhere, should be allowed to want to be anything he or she wants. In America, It’s a simple as striving among your peers and training hard. Elsewhere, in less-fortunate countries, it’s impossible. I can only hope that one day, the world will be equal.

Shop on Amazon and support This I Believe

We receive up to 10% of every purchase you make on Amazon through this link. So do all your shopping here and help support This I Believe!

Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

As half of the magic act Penn and Teller, Penn Jillette enjoys challenging his audiences with the unconventional. In stating his personal credo, Jillette finds liberation in believing there is no God. Click here to read his essay.